Contra Costa Civic Theatre

Yesterday Alan and I saw a luminous production here of "The Clean House" by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Erin Merritt. We saw and loved her plays "Eurydice" and "In the Next Room: The Vibrator Play" at Berkeley Rep several seasons ago. Before the play began I listened as some of the people seated nearby chatted about the regional theatre scene. One man commented that since Marilyn Langbehn had become the Artistic Director here the quality of the plays performed and the acting has risen a notch. One of his friends responded that she had thought the quality had always been good.The play has 5 actors playing 7 characters. It's funny and touching, addressing relationships between parents and children, siblings, spouses, lovers, social classes and people in general. The acting was as good as any I've seen at Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes or Ashland. Sarah Ruhl's plays mix magical realism w/ real life concerns. After the performance there was an opportunity for the audience to engage in an exchange w/ the actors and several of us stayed to participate. I'm not sure whether that's offered after every performance, but in this case it was a very interesting opportunity to hear from the actors their experience w/ the play, what they had learned, what the director brought to the process and how that impacted their performance. I found the play and the discussion stayed w/ me for hours afterward, my mark of a good theatrical experience"The Clean House" runs through March 6. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday matinees. Tickets are $22 in advance and $28 at the door. If you order tickets by phone there is a $2 per ticket surcharge. I have two suggestions. First is that an announcement be made after intermission reminding people to turn off their cell phones if they had turned them on. That might have prevented the clueless woman whose cell phone went off three times, disturbing the performance before she finally had the courtesy to leave. The second, less important one, is that there be a blurb about the playwright in the program. I was surprised there was none.

I was so happy to score a pair of tickets for West Side Story - I have long enjoyed the film production and have never seen a stage production of this musical. Sadly, I was stood up by a blind date and my Yelp buddy Alex couldn't join me so I went SOLO (and left solo).The theatre itself could use some help - the angle of some of the seats isn't great for viewing but it's a very small theatre so that's not the worst problem. The seats are by far the most uncomfortable seats I have sat in a very long time -- I just could not get comfortable and felt stiff and beat up after the first 90 minutes of the performance. The audio system had some problems -- there was a constant buzz and it was rather annoying.The performance was fantastic -- I was very impressed by the tremendous talent and quality of acting on stage. The lead singers' had amazing voices -- and though the casting choices were a bit of a surprise (Riff by an Afro-American man, the Puerto Rican women mostly by tiny Asian-American women) -- overall, they did an amazing show and fantastic performance. Costumes were mostly pretty good - except for one. If you were there, you know which one -- the "plus size" cast member who was doing all the same moves as the other dancers, singing and moving gracefully about the stage -- in such a poor costume that it stuck out like a sore thumb. It didn't have a pleated waistline to allow the skirt flare out like the other dancers, it just didn't look right and it looked like that dancer got cheated of a proper costume.All in all, I would love to return to this theatre - despite any flaws, it's a fantastic bargain and really makes me wonder about all the hidden talent in the general public. Who needs Broadway or Hollywood when you have local theatre?

We just saw "In The Heights" at this wonderful local theater, and I'm beyond impressed. I could not believe I was seeing a civic/community theater production - though the fact the entire run is sold out should have told me something.The cast is exceedingly talented and the level of energy and enthusiasm was inspiring. "I laughed, I cried, I was immersed" - all true! All, and I mean all, of the named characters were not just solid, but terrific. How the heck can they cast this well for a small production in El Cerrito?!Not that I'm some grand theater maven, but I'd worked stage crew in high school and community theater before, with performers who've gone on to become national names. I've also seen my share of Broadway shows. This was my first experience at CCCT - and it was something special.

I had never been to this theater before, and if Westside Story was any indication, I've been missing a lot. The staging was simple, but very effective, and I was blown away by Maria's voice. What a treat it was to hear such a beautiful voice. But there's more! All the singers were good, and the choreography was really clever- it made the rather small stage seem much larger.I also have to mention the actress who played Anita. She had great comedic timing. Parking at the theater is very convenient, with both street parking and a lot. We arrived early to get good seats, and we were able to sit anywhere we wanted to.I am looking forward to getting tickets to see No Sex Please We're British.

I came for "Lucky Stiff" and largely enjoyed it. The cast is solid and performs well, especially the singing. The crew, though, seemed a little shaky with some odd lighting cues and less-than-smooth background changes. The physical theater is only 10 rows deep so everyone's close. The edges may be tough views. The main section is reserved for season ticket holders until 10 min before curtain, which was close but not precisely on time. Concessions are pretty limited--cookies, coffee, and juice.

Where else can you see a fantastic play or wonderful music for affordable prices and actually SEE the performers? Every seat is a good seat. The theatre holds around 100 (?)We have enjoyed many productions over the years.Most noteworthy. We saw "Fiddler on the Roof" at the ACT Theatreand paid a bundle for seats where the stage was barely visible withbinoculars. The cast seemed bored.Then we saw a CCCT production with so called "amateurs" for 1/4ththe price. Not only could we see the actors but we could feel theirenthusiasm and energy.Matinees on some Sundays.Summer camps for kids.

Thanks Yelp Elite for the tickets!Not impressed by this theater, though, sorry. I am 100% a fan of community theater (as both a performer and audience member!), but the production we saw last night (West Side Story) was flawed. The sound system was *awful* and the speakers buzzed all night, before AND after intermission.The sight lines are not good. The acoustics on the stage are uneven.The supporting cast had much more oomph than the leads did, the dancing was a bit sloppy, the orchestra amateurish, and the staging of all of Tony's songs was dull.The actor playing him is a bit bland -- and yet the director had him simply standing there, singing earnestly under a spotlight -- on several of his songs. I know Yelp is not the place to critique an individual production BUT I feel it's worth mentioning in this case because the handling (and casting) of the character demonstrated how the director thinks. The director had some basic talent there to work with but didn't really allow the lead actor to live up to his potential.Like I said, I think community theater as an institution is absolutely fantastic, but these guys need to try a little bit harder.

I spent waaaaayyyy too much time in this theater as a teenager. I volunteered everywhere. I was in the front, backstage, in the light booth, on the spot platforms. I painted, taped, served food, and I loved every minute of it. I love that the Flynn/Ray family continues this tradition. I plan to bring my nieces to a musical matinee soon. (They're still just a tad young.)

Though I previously lived in El Cerrito, I had never visited this community theater. I was recently treated, courtesy of Yelp Elite, to a performance of my favorite Broadway musical, West Side Story. This charming little box of a theater is cozy. I had my doubts about how such a "big" production would work on a small stage but the sets and choreography made it work. The show itself was solid. I especially enjoyed the actors who played Anita and Bernardo. I appreciated the directors of the show/theater mingling and even serving wine during intermission. It is a homegrown theater that deserves community support.

I love CCCT! It puts the community in community theater. It has a small and intimate feel, and the shows are consistently of very high quality. I've performed in five musicals here (as of this writing), and each one has been a great experience in different ways, from making friends to learning new techniques to performing a show I love. The rehearsal process is usually long, but fun. They have a lot of traditions, and it's a welcoming atmosphere.It's a small stage, but they attract some great talent from all over the Bay area. I'll call out two recent Broadway-caliber leads, the amazing Amie Shapiro and Katie Pogue who played Roxie and Velma in Chicago last year. If you see either of their names attached to any show, go see it.If you live in the area, you need to see the shows at this theater. They put on a great mix of classic musicals to important plays to new and exciting works. If you have always wanted to do theater or if you haven't done it in a while, this is a great place to get into it.